'Bedouins of the sea'

Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Johnny Aralaji, leader of a Badjao community in Puerto Princesa, Philippines, scans the sea for almost nonexistent schools of fish. The Badjao, an ancient seafaring community with origins in the Sulu Sea, are known locally as sea gypsies or the Bedouin of the sea.

Johnny Aralaji, leader of a Badjao community in Puerto Princesa, Philippines, scans the sea for almost nonexistent schools of fish. The Badjao, an ancient seafaring community with origins in the Sulu Sea, are known locally as sea gypsies or the Bedouin of the sea. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Under the blazing sun, Badjao fisherman Sonny Apsar, 29, searches for telltale signs of fish off the coast of Puerto Princesa. This is very hard work, he said, I don't want to be a fisherman anymore. At night he supplements his meager income by driving a three-wheeler motorcycle taxi, a common form of public transport.

Under the blazing sun, Badjao fisherman Sonny Apsar, 29, searches for telltale signs of fish off the coast of Puerto Princesa. This is very hard work, he said, I don't want to be a fisherman anymore. At night he supplements his meager income by driving a three-wheeler motorcycle taxi, a common form of public transport. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Badjao, nomadic Muslim fishermen known in the Philippines as the Bedouin of the sea, have wandered the southern oceans for centuries. Now, amid environmental degradation and overfishing, their way life is under threat.